Finger-gauge-truing device



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. C. BACHELDER FINGER GAUGE TRUING DEVICE Filed May13. 1921 Nov. 8, 1927.

Nov. 8, 192 7.

L. C. BACHELDER FINGER GAUGE TRUING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lit PatentedNov. 8, 1927.

LUTHER C. BAGHELDER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM-UNHTED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

RANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 2., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FINGER-GAUGE-TRUING' DEVICE.

Application filed May 13,

This invention relates in general to slitting machines for cuttingsheets of tin and the like, and has particular reference to theprovision in such a machine of means for squaring or aligning sheet inparallel relatio-nship with respect to the line of the cuttors employedin said machine prior to the reaching of said cutters by any part of thesheet.

in operating machines of this character it has been found to require theservices of skilled and experienced operators to so manipulate the tinsheets or blanks as to prevent spoilage or wastage of considerableportions of them through inaccurate cutting. It is a principal object ofmy invention to provide means whereby inexperienced operators can slitthe tin as accurately and with as little waste as could experiencedoperators under the old methods.

A further object of the invention is the provision of truing means ofsimple construction, which are adapted to be readily positioned upon amachine of the character described, and operable by the normal movementof the blanks towards the cutters.

A further and important object of the invention is the provision oftruing means practically automatic in operation and adapted to functionregardless of the degree of skill exercised by operators.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the aceon'ipanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1. is a side elevation in broken section of the portion of aslitting machine upon which my invention is employed;

lrig. 2 is an inner elevational view of one of the end brackets;

Fig. is an enlarged detail of the upper end of the bracket shown in Fig.2, certain parts being shown in section; and

Fig. 4; is an enlarged sectional elevation taken vertically through thetruing device and a portion of the slitting machine.

in the manufacture of tin cans of the ordinary commercial types,referring particularly to the cutting of can body blanks, the bodyblanks are cut from large standard size sheets.

The exact number of blanks procured from 1921. Serial No. 4e9,11e.'

each standard sheet depends entirely on the size of the body blankrequired. When making the small one pound cans or similar sizes as manyas ten or twelve or more body blanks may be procured from each stocksheet. When making cans of the gallon or ten pound size, only three orfour body blanks may be obtained from each stock sheet. The stock sheetsas procured from the tin plate mill are given nominal overalldimensions, and the sheets are intended to be made approximately square.In quantity manufacture, however, the large stock sheets are all more orless out of square and on this account are ordered a little larger inoverall dimensions than is necessary to cut the required number of bodyblanks from each stock sheet, the excess metal being trimmed off aswaste in the operation of cutting the stock sheets into can body blanks.

In cutting these stock sheets up into can body blanks it is necessarythat each body blank is square or accurately rectangular and of fixedlength and breadth dimensions.

In order to get a starting point for cutting accurately square and trulydimensioned can body blanks it is necessary to first trim two oppositeedges of each stock sheet by passing them successively througha'trimming slitter. During this trimming operation the stock sheet isalsoslit into two or more sheets, each having a width equal to can bodyblank length.

Exact gauging in this trimming operation is not necessary, it havingbeen found suflicient to simply manuallyor automatically advance thesheet along a side gauge bar into the grip of the trimming and slittingcutters. This side gauge bar may be adjusted square with the cutters orslightly out of square as may be desired, for as soon as the stock sheetof tinis engaged by the cutters and feed rolls it is immediatelyadvanced automatically throughthe machine and the tyvo opposite edgestrimmed in parallel relaton and the sheet slit into as many smallersheets asare desired. These trimmed sheets are now ready to pass throughthe regular body euttingslitter and be cut up into canbody blanks. Itwill now be noted that the original stock sheet has two of its oppositeedges trimmed paralleland has also been slit into two or more smallersheets having two parallel edges, while the edges of the sheets thatwere at right angles to the direction of travel through the machine arestill untrimmed, irregular and out of square with the trimmed and slitedges of the multiple sheets cut from each stock sheet.

These sheets are now taken in packs to the slitters where can bodyblanks are out These packs are arranged in convenient position at thefront or at either side of the slitter feed table for hand feeding, theposition depending on the preference of the individual operators. Thepacks are so oriented that the individual sheets are advanced to theslitting cutters at right angles to their direction of travel throughthe before mentioned trimming slitters. This brings the parallel truededges of each sheet into approximately parallel relation with the bankof slitting cutters. Now must come into play some means of bringing thefront trued edge of each sheet exactly parallel with the bank ofslitting cuttersso that the line of cuts dividing the sheet up into canbody blanks are exactly at right angles to the previously trimmed edgeof the sheet. This is absolutely necessary or true and square can bodyblanks cannot be produced.

One method that has been in quite extensive use comprised a mechanicallyreciprocat ing feed slide moving toward and away from the slittingcutters and having a. moving.

gauge bar set in a position to parallelize the back edge of the sheetwith the bank of cut ters, the sheet being meantime held against thisgauge bar by a back pull of the operator's hand lying on top of thesheet. This gauge bar carried a small adjustable stop block againstwhich the corner of an untrimmed edge of the sheet was stopped to givethe sheet proper lateral adjustment so that cachuntrimmed edge would betrimmed as the sheet was being cut into can body blanks. This method offeeding is only satisfactory in some respects and limits the speed ofoperationby causing the operator to watch the movement of the feedslide, as it is only practical to place a sheet when the slide is on theback stroke, and the slide having positive, uninterrupted reciprocatingmotion the sheets have to be placed in quite regular sequence 'ortheywill be advanced into the cutters before being properly placed againstthe moving feed bar, resulting in the entire sheet being cut up into outof square body blanks, all of which must be rejected as waste. Thenumber of can body blanks so spoiled in a days run has sometimes been sogreatas to very materially increase the cost of the finished product andsome better and more efficient means of gauging the Sheets has been muchdesired and my improved method described and illustrated herein quitesuccessfully supplies this need.

Upon the drawings employed for the purpose of illustrating theinvention, I have shown in outline a part of a slitting machine, thereference numeral 11 indicating a shaft upon which cutter members 12 aremounted, these members being adapted to cooperate with the lower cuttermembers 13 similarly mounted upon a shaft 1 1.

Mounted on the cutter hubs adjacent the cutters 12 and 13 are feed rolls12 and 13 the same as are in common and general use. These rolls havethe function of gripping the sheet and drawing it through the slittingcutters 12 and 13;

The'cutting operation performed by these members need not beparticularly described, since it is not essential to an understanding ofmy invention. It need only be pointed out that the sheets or blanks oftin are advanced, usually by automatic means, upon a table '15 andpassed between the rotating cutters. In order to effect accurate cuttingit is manifestly necessary that the blanks be pcrfectly aligned whenthey are presented to the cutters, and this has been found to be veryditlicult and to require considerable skill to accomplish when theblanks are alignedby hand. For the purpose of obviating this difliculty,I provide finger gauges 16 disposed at intervals in the path of theadvancing sheets, the exact number of these members being unimportantexcepting that there must be at least two. The upper ends 17 of thelinger members 16 are turnedto horizontal position and secured by meansof screw threaded engagementas at 18 in hub members 19, which arefeathered to a shaft or rod 21, and held rigidly in placeby means ofbolts 22 (Fig. 1) At each end of the machine and secured to the table 15are brackets '23 and 24-, held in place by means of bolts 5 and 26.These brackets have their upper ends 27 turned forward and theyterminate in bearings 28 and 29in which the rod 21 is loosely secured.Upon the rod 21 and near the bearing 29 is feathered a collar 30 havingintegral therewith a bored lug 31, said lug being so positioned as toextend back toward the vertical portion of the bracket 24:. Extendinginwardly from the bracket is a projection or flange 32, positionedimmediately above theinner part of the lug 31. Ext-ending through anaperture 33 in the lug 31 is a belt or pin 34, an'inner threaded end 35of which is engaged in the flange 32. Upon the bolt are collars 36 and37, the one of which bears against the lug 31 and the other against anut 38 on the outer end of the bolt. Between these collars is a springrection only against the pressure of the spring 39. i

When a sheet of tin is advanced in irregular position its forward edgewill contact with one of the fingers 16 and further movement will berestrained until, the free or lagging part of the sheet is advanced tocon tact with the other finger, thereby truing the sheet and aligningits edge in position parallel with the horizontal line of the cutters.Further pressure of the sheets against the fingers 16 will cause them toadvance and be lifted to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig.4, this being permitted by rotation of the rod 21 against the pressureof the spring. The fingers are so set that when they have been pushedforward by the sheets to the clearance position, just referred to, theyhave a tendency to drag and upon the passing of the sheet from beneaththem they are forced back to original posi tion by the tension of thespring 39;

This accurate gauging action is brought rolls, otherwise a previously,accurately aligned and gauged sheet may be moved out of perfectadjustment after being released by the gauging devices and before beinggripped by the cutters and feed rolls, when it will be slit out ofsquare and thus spoiled. I establish this desirable and necessarycondition through the correct placement of the gauging fingers inrelation to the slitting cutters and feed rolls.

By reference to Figure 4 it will be noted that the lower ends 43 of thefingers 16, rest in position slightly in front of the vertical linethrough the cutters 12 and 13 and that the sheet is gauged and alignedby being held in contact with the gauge fingers until the forward edgeis engaged by the cutters and feed rolls, when it is immediatelyadvanced automatically and the gauge fingers are given their finalmovement out of engagement with the front edge of the sheet and into theposition indicated by dotted lines. where it will be noted the gaugingpoints are on the opposite side of the vertical line through thecutters. It is thus seen that the gauging and aligning of a sheet by myimproved method is most accurately, positively and rapidly accomplishedand that a skilled operator is unnecessary.

The preliminary operation of gauging and aligning a sheet is practicallyaccomplished without effort or attention from the operator. Anoperatorlays the flat of his hand on the top sheet of a pack and quickly slidesit onto the feed table up against the regular fixed side stop, anuntrimmed edge being against this stop, and by a slight forward movementpushes the sheet against one or another of the resistant gauge fingers.The gauge fingers are usually set to engage the edge of the sheet nearthe ends so that the operators hand rests on the sheet intermediate thegauge points, thus a triangle of two resistance points and oneintermediate pressure point is formed. The corners of the trianglecomprise the two gauge points and the 'operators hand. lVhen the sheetengages one or the other of the gauge finger points, the operator ispushing the sheet forward against the finger points which remain intheir normal first gauging position through the tension of the spring 33and thus resist movement until sufiicient pressure is applied by theoperator, pushing the sheet,

to overcome the resisting tension of the spring In the meantime theconstant push of the operators hand will swing the sheet into engagementwith both finger gauges, because there is less resistance met bythesheet when in contact with only one finger gauge so that it willnaturally swing into correct alignment against both the gauge fingersbefore the operator can exert enough pressure to swing the gaugesforward, as soon, however, as the sheet touches ioth gauge fingers theoperators push will move the sheet in a straight forward directionswinging the gauge fingers out of its path while entering intoengagement with the feed rolls and immediately be carried through themachine, in perfect alignment.

This method and action is entirely difi'ereut from any heretofore usedin this art and produces a result in accurate and rapid gauging andcutting not before accomplished. The speed with which can body blanksmay be accurately produced is only limited to the rotative speed of thecutters and feed rolls, which control the time in which the sheets passthrough the machine. With the opera tors mind concentrated on only theone task of getting the sheets against the fixed side gauge and pushingthe sheet into the machine he can manipulate the sheets as rapidly asthey are carried through the machine.

It will be noted that the construction is or may be such that the tips43 of the fingers cross the line of bite .of the feeding rolls, so thatthe sheet is securely held by the latter at the time it is released bythe fingers. That is to say, the sheet is seized while it is accuratelygauged. After the sheet passes the fingers swing back to meet and alinethe subsequent sheet.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and

Ill-5 llu it will be apparent thatvarious changes may be made in theform, construction and arrangement of the parts Without departing fromthe spirit and'scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its materialadvantages, theform hereinbefore described being merely a preferredembodiment thereof.

1 claim:

- 1. The combination of sheet cutting means, rolls ior grasping andfeeding sheets through said cutting means, and two gauges spaced apartfrom each other and arranged in the path of the sheet, in front of thesame, and

each offering resistance to the movement of the sheet and connected andmovable together out of the Way of the sheet to allow the same to passwhen properly arranged for the cutting operation, the resistance of oneof said gauges causing the sheet to turn until it also .bears againstthe other gauge,

whereupon the movement of the sheet moves both gauges simultaneously outof the Way of the sheet. a

2. The combination of sheet slitting rolls having cutting edges andsheet feeding surfaces, and two gauges spaced apart from each other andarranged in the path of the gamma sheet in front ofthe same and eachoffering resistance to the movement of the sheet and connected andmovable. together out of the 1 way of the sheet to allow the same topass when properly arranged for the cutting operation, the resistance ofone of said gauges causing the sheet to turn until it also bears againstthe other gauge, whereupon the movement of the sheet moves both gaugessimultaneously out of the Way of the sheet.

3; The combination of sheet cutting means, rolls for grasping andfeeding sheets through said cutting means, andtwo gauges spaced apartfrom each other and arranged in the path of the sheet in front of thesame and substantially at the linewhere the sheet is grasped by therolls and each offering resist- ,ance to the movement of the sheet andcon nected and movable together out of the Way of the sheet to allow thesame to pass when properly arranged for the cutting operation, theresistance of one of said gauges causing the sheet to turn until italsoibears against the other gauge, whereupon the movement of the sheetmoves both gauges simultaneously out of the Way of the sheet. a i

LUTHER C. BACHELDER.

